Category Archive: eResources

A website for studying radiology

During gross anatomy it is important to find good resources to study pathology and radiology, as many of your test questions will use these applications of anatomy.  There are a few resources that are very good, and many resources that are mediocre.  I have found that learningradiology.com is one of the best ways to study radiology.

http://learningradiology.com/

The website is totally free and does not even require a login.  It is broken up by organ system, which is perfect for gross anatomy. There are free quizzes that range from simple to very demanding.  Many of their questions and “Cases of the week” are case based problems, and very similar to test formats and USMLE formats.

This would be a great and free study tool for gross anatomy, for reference whenever you need to study a specific radiologic finding, or for a radiology rotation.

How to find the right journal

Most medical students will take part in research during medical school.  A few students will have the oppurtunity to present their research either at a national meeting or as a peer-reviewed article.  As I completed a few projects in school it was always difficult for me to know what journal would be the best fit for my research.  Luckily, I stumbed on a fantastic tool to help you identify journals where your paper would be a good fit.

JANE (Journal Author Name Estimator) is a free online tool that uses the title of your proposed paper and matches it to appropriate journals.  It does this by searching the titles of articles in all available journals and finding similar words and phrases in the already published titles.  I have used this software a few times and it always works very well.

http://www.biosemantics.org/jane/

You can also use the software to find authors that published papers similar to the paper you are submitting.  The same algorithm is used, but your title is match to authors who published similar papers.  Finally, you can use the software to find specific articles that are similar to title that you search.  I have found the first two capabilities to be very useful, but I think the simple search engine on pubmed is more reliable for searching for specific articles.

Here is the link again,

http://www.biosemantics.org/jane/

 

Average Physician Salary

In this article I will highlight some of the best online resources for researching physician salaries by specialty. I will explain why each site is good and why each site is less than idea. I do not print out any of the salary information. I recently wrote another article where all the salary information from these sites is printed. “The Ultimate Guide to Physician Salaries” is a complete analysis of all physician salary data online. You no longer have to google ‘physician salary’ to find all the best information, the Ultimate Guide to Physician Salary has it all laid out in one place.

The longer you are a medical student, the more you will think about this question. In most academic medicine circles, it is taboo to discuss salaries and earnings.  However, this is an important question and one that SHOULD NOT make you feel guilty.  The information is important in planning your life, budgeting your money and loan dollars, and in choosing a specialty.

 

There are a number of ways to research physician salaries, none of which is perfect.  When conducting this research you must remember that most private physicians own their own practice, are not employed, and therefore do not have an easy reportable income.  In this article we will review the best online resources to research physician salaries, and the pros and cons of each resource.  You should remember that most of these numbers come from email or snail mail surveys with small response rates, so the numbers will vary.  If the data you find online do not come from large physician surveys, they are probably not reliable.  Below I outline four very reliable sources.

 

#1  Medscape Physician Compensation Report

Each year Medscape conducts an enormous survey of physicians of every specialty (see my dedicated article about the newest report).  To access the results of the survey you must be a member of Medscape/Web MD.  This is a free service that I would suggest to all medical students even if you do not access their survey results (membership also provides free access to the best ipod/ipad/iphone apps for medical school which I discuss here).

Access to the site allows you to view the data for all specialties of medicine.  Medscape publishes one conglomerate presentation where they compare compensation among all specialties, all practice settings (private vs. multi specialty group vs. academic), and all locations (urban vs. rural).  In addition, they publish a presentation for each sub-specialty where they explore gender effects, time spent with patients, patient visits in a week, geographical sector (east coast vs. west coast vs. south vs. mid-west), and other factors affecting compensation.

http://www.medscape.com/features/slideshow/compensation/2011/
(login needed)

PROS:
Represents responses from over 15,000 physicians, the largest report of its kind.
Neat display and graphics
Tons of extra information about location, practice setting, etc
Updated yearly
They report the changes to compensation from year to year
Access to their site provides many other benefits (apps)

CONS:
You must have a login, which is free and non-intrusive

 

#2 Careers in Medicine website 

As I discussed in a previous article, the Careers in Medicine (CiM) website is a fantastic resource for all medical students.  The site provides tools to understand personality traits, which specialties you might enjoy the most, and ample information about each specialty in medicine.  One of the best parts about the website is the unbiased salary information they provide about each specialty and some sub-specialties.

Once you are logged on (medical school email address required) you will have to find the links to specialty pages, and then find the compensation tab.  These information reported is survey information and is updated periodically.  They offer the unique ability to compare academic salaries to those of private practitioners in each specialty and sub-specialty.  In addition, they report the salary information broken up into “First three years of career” and “Late career” to compare how compensation might change as your practice gets settled.

https://www.aamc.org/students/medstudents/cim/

PROS:
Unbiased information available only to medical students
Compare compensation of academic to private practice physicians
Part of a great web resource for all medical students
Includes ample information about each specialty

CONS:
You must have a login, which is free for all medical students
There is not compensation information about smaller sub-specialties

 

 #3 Merritt Hawkins

Merritt Hawkins is another web-based survey company that conducts an annual physician compensation survey.  Their data, however, is a little different than the other companies.  The report the results of salary and incentives offered to physicians through head-huThe results of their survey are open to the public.  They conduct a number of great analyses including identifying the most recruited specialties, where to find probono medical work, and their salary information.

Their main site provides links to all the above information

http://merritthawkins.com/

Their most recent salary information (2010) is available at the link below.

http://www.merritthawkins.com/uploadedFiles/MerrittHawkings/Surveys/mha2010incentivesurvPDF.pdf

PROS:
PDF format with ample information
Compare the results of the last 4 years’ surveys in the same pdf
Very large survey providing reliable results

CONS:
Not all specialties (ophthalmology) are included
No ditinction between practice situation and location

 

 #4 CEJKA Search

This is a little known resource that provides great information.  The AMGA Medical Group Compensation and Financial Survey is a  company that has been following physician salaries for 30 years.  They report the results of their analysis for free on their website.  There is no nonsense to their data, they simply list the median salary for all specialties in medicine.  They also provide compensation information for physician executives and for mid-level providers (PA, CNP, CRNA, Podiatrist, Optometrist, etc.)

 

http://www.cejkasearch.com/view-compensation-data/

PROS:
Clean format, easy to access
Easy to compare, all information on one webpage

CONS:
Fewer respondants than other surveys
Private company

#5 Allied Physicians Survey

The Allied Physicians survey is one of the most readily available tools to research physician salary information.  The organization has been collecting salary information since 2003.  It is unclear if they are still updating the information on their website as it posts “2006” as the most recent update.  The great part about this survey, however, is the ability to quickly compare all the specialties of medicine. They are reported in one webpage, side by side, so you do not have to click one hundred times to see all the information

http://www.alliedphysicians.com/salary-surveys/physicians/

PROS:
Clean format, easy to access
Easy to compare specialties
Demonstrates three compensation tiers (starting, 1-3 years, >3 years)

CONS:
Unclear if the survey is still being updated

 

#6 Public Record Information

As I mentioned in a previous post, many states have now made public university salary information open to the public.  This means that the salaries of many physicians who work at public academic medical centers are now widely accessible.  You can simply google “salary information” and the university you are interested in researching to find the data.  Or, you can go to the website below which has compiled all the information for you.

http://www.collegiatetimes.com/databases/salaries

PROS:
-Learn about real salary information of academic physicians
-Salary data for chairmen, deans, CEOs are all public record

CONS:
-Not all states represented
-Many universities have incentive structures built into salary information, so the numbers you see reported may not be the actual salary brought home by the physician.

MD Consult: Free books, reviews, articles

You can never buy every book you will need in medical school, and you would never want to. Luckily, most medical students have acces to MDConsult, a web-based database that contains innumerable resources for students, residents, and attendings.

www.mdconsult.com

The site is not free, but you probably have access through your school or your hospital.  Once you are successfully on the site, you will have access thousands of texts, articles, reviews, and drug information. In fact, many of the books are downloadable in pdf format.  This includes many of the books you will be required to purchase and read during all four years of medical school.  It is always a good idea to check MDConsult prior to purchasing a book, especially if you just need to read a portion of the text.

Also, if you need to find a specific journal article that your library does not have in print or electronically, always try MDConsult as they have millions of searchable articles that are easy to find.

They have a nice app too, which can be used on a phone, ipod, or tablet.

Careers in Medicine from the AAMC

If you have ever wondered how to choose a specialty, this website might be your best resource. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) provides all medical students free registration and access to this very useful tool.

https://www.aamc.org/students/medstudents/cim/

The website provides students with multiple decision tools including…

  • quizzes to determine what personality traits you obtain
  • online surveys to help determine what your career goals
  • surveys that suggest possible specialties that fit with your traits and priorities
  • what characteristics of each specialty might appeal or disuade you

In addition, the most powerful part of the website are the specialty specific pages available to all students.  These pages outline a number of things about each specialty

  • Patient population, including age, gender, ethnicity
  • Top 5 most common diagnoses seen by the specialty
  • Competativeness of the match
  • Personality traits common to most in the specialty
  • Average compensation data for the specialty

I urge all medical students to sign up for this fantastic tool.  You should begin your specialty search early in your career.  To the 1st and 2nd year students, it is never too early!  Begin by learning about your career goals and your personality traits and you will start to identify specialties that may fit into your mold.

 

 

Epocrates: Your brain in your hand

Did anyone actually enjoy studying pharmacology during the 1st and 2nd year of medical school?  One of the best resources you can have during your 3rd year rotations and into 4th year, internship, residency, and beyond is solid pocket medication and prescription reference.  Epocrates is the most widely used pocket reference and I can say from personal experience, it is a MUST HAVE.  There are many other apps, and some are good (LexiComp) but none are as good as Epocrates.

Set up is simple, download the app to your hand held device and the rest is self explanatory.  There is a free version and a pay version.  Even the free version is very good. However, your school likely has a tie in with Epocrates which will allow you to obtain the full version for free while you are in school.  Ask your administrators to provide this service if they do not already do so.

The Epocrates site provides the free download for Apple, Blackberry, Palm, Android, and Windows Mobile devices
http://www.epocrates.com/products/rx/

Medscape: The Most Downloaded Medical App

Medscape (now part of webmd.com) has produced the most widely used medical apps on the market.  The best part is, they are all free.  The main app links you to a database of review articles, disease definitions/physiology/pathology, and management guidelines.  It provides very quick access to important information: you could look up first line medications for community acquired pneumonia in the 15 seconds before you get pimped!

Their main site provides free app downloads for Apple, Blackberry, and Android users.  I have to admit, I use this ALL THE TIME right now during internship.  It is amazingly useful and user friendly

http://www.medscape.com/public/mobileapp

In order to download the app you will need to register with the website (here).  This will not only open the door to all their free apps, but also to all their online resources including free articles, text books, and reviews.  It will also allow you to view their annual physician compensation survey, one of the best ways to learn about how much physicians in each specialty earn.  See my dedicated post on this subject.

 

 

 

 

 

Uptodate: How to impress on rounds

Throughout your third and fourth year of medical school you will frequently be told to “read about your patients.” Uptodate.com is one of your best resources for succinct, up to date, and easy to manage medical information.  The site contains  review articles written by experts in the field and covers nearly all important topics in medicine.  Most large hospitals and medical centers have access to the database through their network.  There is a useful app too, but you may not be able to access it through wi-fi even within the hospital, due to some site restrictions.  But, DON’T PAY for it.  More than likely, there is a way to access it through your medical school.

http://www.uptodate.com/index

How to Use:

Read about your patient before rounds or at night.  Learn the ins and outs of the disease process well to better treat your patient and to better answer questions when you are pimped.  See if your team is doing everything suggested by the review article.  If you find something to add, mention this on rounds or to your residents and mention where you learned it (uptodate).  Everyone in medicine respects the review articles on uptodate.  If you mention that your information comes from uptodate, everyone will now it is reliable.  In the same vein, NEVER admit you learned something from wikipedia…even if it is a great resource sometimes.

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